Miyerkules, Marso 21, 2012

EDUCATIONAL: It's More Fun in Tarlac!



Half-way to the North, you can pass by one of the most progressive province in the Philippines – the Province of Tarlac. Known as the one of the most historical place in the country, Tarlac province aligned itself to be the best tourist destination on the northern part of the Philippines. Everyone must visit the province to experience the mesmerizing ambiance that it could bring to people.


Geographically, Tarlac is composed of 17 beautiful Municipalities which are divided into 4 clusters – and a highly-urbanized city of Tarlac. Each municipality offers special delightful treats and beautiful spots where you can have the feeling of being at ease and peacefulness with the wind of the green fields along the road.


From the South, the welcome arch of the Municipality of Bamban will amuse you. The gargantuan bridge of Bamban will captivate your eyes as the river flow underneath of it calms you giving the feeling of tranquility. Next, why not get down on your car and take a walk to take some stunning photos to the beautiful spots of Bamban. Hidden behind the big rocks from the mountains of Bamban is a paradise of flowing streams with fresh water. You can also fly-up high like an eagle as you cross the hanging bridge behind the tall trees of the place.


The sojourns continue 
as it takes you to the Municipality of Capas, a road to the world-known Mount Pinatubo. This place will take you to the right track towards the ‘Pinatubo Crater Lake’. Indulge yourself in the hot spring’s water from the mountain and give yourself a break by taking lahar and mud spas.

Next stop, we have the Municipality of Concepcion. The green and golden rice fields will make you feel relax from the long ride. Unwind from the meadows and cool breeze of the water from the river watering the plant crops.

Fill-up your churning stomach with the ever famous version of ‘batchoy’ from the Municipality of La Paz. This delicious specialty of the municipality was made from fine noodles, tendered-sliced beef and pork with onion chives in a classic mouth-watering soup. La Paz batchoy of Tarlac brings you to the yesteryears of the Chinese cuisine.


Reigning with a victory on its name, our next destination in the province is the Municipality of Victoria. Municipality of Victoria will let you explore its natural gifts on agriculture bringing you the finest vegetables freshly harvested from the backyard. Plunge to the different Ilocano cuisines and recipes which will make your stomach full, without a doubt. Sort of trivia, municipality of Victoria promotes an organic vegetable planting to contribute for the maintenance of green environment of Tarlac.


Tarlac City is our next exciting destination. As aforesaid, Tarlac City is one of the highly-urbanized and developing districts in the province of Tarlac. This is where east meets west. Tarlac city is the center of the melting pot in the Philippines. Hacienda Luisita is one of the beautiful spots here that you can visit to experience a different kind of trip seeing tall sugar cane plants transported, extracted and refined to become a high-quality sugar which are exported in the different localities in the Region III and in the entire Luzon. Tarlac city also have different places for people where you can enjoy different perks, gigs and parties. Tarlac city has several malls and commercial establishments like: Magic Star Mall, Metro Town Mall and the SM City Tarlac.




Looking for a good place as a sanctuary, Municipality of San Jose has to offer with its nature tripping with God. San Jose, Tarlac bears one of the nation’s best tourist destinations, the ‘Monasterio de Tarlac’ which was situated in the highlands of the municipality along with the mountains and wild forests. Another exciting place in San Jose, Tarlac is the venue for the 2010 Palarong Pambansa in the Phlippines – the Tarlac Sports Complex wherein a Pearl-shaped Canopy standing high in the podium alongside of the green hills can be found.


A neighbor of the Municipality of San Jose, we have the Municipality of Mayantoc – the Summer Capital of the Tarlac Province. You will surely please with the highlands of the place like the different mountains, hills and plateaus. Alongside of the mountains and hills is the famous nature’s long river which people and other local tourists often visit during summer vacation. Without a doubt, you will surely have some fun while swimming on the river with fresh water.

The Municipality of San Clemente invites you to their festival of brooms [walis tambo] every year. Have fun by taking a good walk in the fields of talahib grass and by trying to make your own personalized broom made from dried leaves of the talahib.

The most progressive municipality of Tarlac in terms of its economy is the Municipality of Camiling. Embedded with green meadows and relaxing ambiance, this municipality serves different delectable delicious foods like latik with inuruban [made from glutinous rice] – one of the famous delicacies in the Philippines. Have also some taste with the tendered, salt-sweetened Chicharon de Camiling [extremely fried pork]. Come to Camiling every month of October and experience the joy in their Chicharon-Inuruban Festival.




Santa Ignacia is our next destination. This municipality has several sites for mango plantation like that in Guimaras, Negros Occidental and for sure, you will love to visit these plantations and pick different kinds of mangoes and experience the taste of mango from Tarlac.






After the media had featured its beautiful spots, the Municipality of Gerona became one of the top tourist destinations in the province of Tarlac. Everyone will indubitably enjoy the surprise of the most visited restaurant in Gerona, the ‘Isdaan’. Isdaan is a place for everyone to enjoy. Aside from the delicious foods in their menu, you will also be thrilled with the swimming ‘koi’ [a Japanese fish that brings luck] in their wide ponds. A place like Isdaan is worth-it to visit.


Are you exhausted from a very long ride? The Municipality of Pura will surely relieved your tired body. In Pura, Tarlac you can get pleasure from the different kinds of water reservoir which can be found there like natural ponds and streams, and alongside of those were blooming flowers which can remove your glooming feeling.



The Municipality of Ramos will take you to the virgin forests that the government of the Province have longed preserved. Several types of flying birds and other animals will welcome you to hear their sounds in calm.



Now, it’s time for another sojourn! Right now, let’s take the Municipality of Paniqui. The people of Paniqui will offer you their special delicacy everyone loves – the ‘tupig’. Made with rice flour, coconut milk, sugar and shredded coconut, tupig of Paniqui is known to be a bestseller for every TarlaqueƱos.


From the scrumptious tupig, we now move-on to the 'camote' [sweete potato] place in the Municipality of Moncada. The people of Moncada will treat you with some of the best recipes from camote like the ‘camote cue’ in different version. You will surely missed Moncada without tasting and having a tour of the plantation of the most staple food in the world we call… camote!




Have heard of the last two Municipalities of Tarlac? These are the Municipality of Anao and San Manuel. 




These two will give you such stimulating experiences. The Municipality of Anao will give you the leeway to smell their famous flower called ‘ilang-ilang’. Every home in the municipality has a tree and plant trees of ilang-ilang to fulfill a tradition. Some of the local residents of Anao say that ilang-ilang brings luck. 


While on the other hand, we have the neighboring municipality of San Manuel, the last municipality of Tarlac making it to be the boundary to the Province of Pangasinan from the East. In the Municipality of San Manuel you can find many sweet corn plantation and taste several recipes made only from sweet corn. Corn is a treat you won’t surely miss.   

Maybe by now you are planning to go for a tour to the Province of Tarlac. Rest assured that you will have no regrets taking a trip to this one of a kind Province in the Philippines.


It’s More Fun in Tarlac!






— JR Aquino- Payne



Lunes, Marso 19, 2012

REFLECTION: The Ron Clark Story




Setting new benchmarks in the field of education is never been an easy task; it takes a global village of professional teachers who has an utmost dedication to make innovations – be it inside or outside of the classroom.

Our tasks as teachers does not end by giving/ delivering the lessons and discussing it to students; teaching does not end when 80% got passing scores: what about the other members of your class who failed and got low scores?  A good teacher should always think of the sake of his entire class and does not seek only for the excellent numerical grades for the cards of his class nor think of bringing recognition to school. A good teacher thinks of the status of his student’s learning – he evaluates and assesses it. Teaching involves being a surrogate parent to students; someone who care, guides, and brings out the best within their students for their achievement and success.

Like what Mr. Ron Clark exemplified, do not just meet and know your student’s background at school but rather take a home visit on their family to know them well in depth. Knowing their family backgrounds makes you know more of their attitudes and behaviors displayed in your classroom. Mr. Ron Clark has shown extraordinary strategic ways in teaching and making himself more efficient and effective teacher to his students in the teaching and learning process. As a first time teacher, he manage himself to keep abreast with the dynamism of his co-teachers achieving the position of a permanent teacher. But the journey of being a permanent teacher in their place does not make him contented about his teaching career, he move to another place to test his self and to improve his abilities. As a foreign in the city of New York, he became assertive to be a teacher – he learns to adapt and to adjust to his new environment. A teacher of his kind was determined to take a risk for a beautiful purpose in meeting and teaching new and diverse students; this is one characteristic that all teacher must have possess in the field.

Mr. Ron Clark is a picture of what a professional teacher should be nowadays. If all of our teachers are just like him, what a great future awaits for our children.




— JR Aquino- Payne






CREDITS:

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: Learnings and Yearnings from Rehoboth



B
eing a Student-Teacher for the Rehoboth Children [TCA-RCHI Literary Program] has a great contribution to me as a future teacher visualizing my career as a professional in the aftermath of my studies as an Education Student at the Tarlac College of Agriculture [TCA].

 
Who says that being a student-teacher is an easy task? It takes a half of your life in order to infused knowledge to your student. However, serving to be a teacher of the Children of Rehoboth gives me the opportunity to apply and to make it in-real life all the knowledge, principles, theories and norms of education we acquire from our College.

I hope that by someday I could contribute more to the Rehoboth Children’s Home. I could barely see how piteous the Children are that their parents are absent to guide, monitor, and care for them. These beautiful Children are precious gifts from the Almighty and they deserve to have a normal life; having parents and a complete family that will give them a full support; and a family which will be there during their ups and downs.

 
Through this blog, I would like to share how my life with a Rehoboth Child improved, and how it changed me to embrace the noblest profession of all—teaching!

August 15, 2011. A day that was fine and all of us are so excited to meet the Children, more especially those children who are assigned to us for us to teach in the entire School Year. We actually met the children but, by that time our feelings were quite so normal, and during that time, the fourth year students were still the ones who tutor the children. I would be glad to teach those children too if time comes, I said to myself and yes, this is the day I have been waiting for.

What Happened before That Day.  We had several talks, lectures, discussion, and briefing about what is the Rehoboth Children’s Home, Inc. [RCHI]; the [TCA-RCHI] Literacy Program and; who the Children in the shelter of Rehoboth are. Madam Nancy Ramores, our Adviser and College coordinator for the program, talks about the Children in the Literacy Program; their behaviors and attitudes towards reading and also, she has given the names of our students. Madam Nancy also gave us a hint about the background of our students. She also reminded us about our limitations as their teacher [particularly on asking the children about the further background of their lives - which was a no-no].

 
‘Jun Ross’ Is the Name. Madam Nancy assigned the name ‘Jun Ross’ to me. By that time, most of us are imagining the face and physical features of our students. Want know how I imagine Jun Ross? I was thinking then of a little kid that is weird, traumatic and good looking, because some of my classmates told me that they already saw Jun Ross and they say he is good looking. Maybe, I said to myself because his name sounds good.

Nervous to Meet the Kid. When the Children arrived at the venue of the Literacy Program [TCA Integrated Library], I was nervous then to meet my student and, I could not explain well why. The woman then from Rehoboth that was assigned to supervise the children call me and directed me to Jun Ross the kid. Absolutely, he looks good, and it made my confidence to be in a low level jerk. So what to expect to me right back then? I do not know why, but I was trembling to go to meet him and to talk to him, because he looks like spoiled-brat with no ideal personality. What can I do then, of course, I should talk to him and teach him the way they teach us to be a good teachers. I do not know then how to start and where to start until minutes have past and we can now talk to each other like normal good strangers who became friends. Maybe I was wrong of my first impression to Jun Ross and truly, I was wrong.

 


Fortunately, Unfortunately. Unfortunately, I forgot to make a journal about my MWF life with Jun Ross while in the Literacy Program – not since Madam Nancy had reminded us to make a journal about the things that was going-on to our student and with us. Fortunately, unfortunately because of that, this only second semester I started to make my Personal Journal about Jun Ross and I. And I would like to share it here.

I began to write this journal below last February 15, 2012, a day after this Year’s Valentine’s Day, and unfortunately, there was some discrepancy on dates—but it doesn’t matter anymore, the story behind those journal has more of significance. Some of them has a title, some don’t have.

 

The Journal: Memories, Experiences, Realizations

February, 15, 2012
My Confession

Jun Ross and I have read different storybooks and I find it very difficult to look for good storybooks that would interest him. Madam Nancy had recommended a storybook entitled, “The Oliver Moon and the Potion Commotion”—she was given that book on the first semester of this School Year 2011-2012. From the time she gave the book to me I was reckoning to its suitability and appropriateness on Jun Ross’ age. The storybook is somehow for a preschool child not for a high school of his age. So then I asked Sir Tom, Rehoboth coordinator for the program, if the book is appropriate for Jun Ross; he then changed the book to a book which I think more suitable for him.

Before we set ourselves on the Literacy Program, I thought it was just reading and teaching reading was our task for the Children—for Jun Ross; but then I realized that it is more of that. It is matter of discovering his level in Decoding and Reading [with Comprehension] Skills. Aside from that, we also need to make a good session plans, and this session plans should comprised of During Reading, Before Reading and After Reading activities [see how hard and challenging the tasks that we are carrying for the sake of studies].

Despite the difficulties and the great challenges of teaching, I could say that all are worth it especially whenever I could see that Jun Ross is learning from me and he has a lot of improvements. THAT’S THE GREATEST PRIZE for a teacher to see that his [or her] students are learning.

These are the storybooks that Jun Ross and I have read together:

1.      Oliver Moon and the Potion Commotion [first semester]
2.      Calamity Jack [first semester]
3.      Animal Stories [second semester]
4.      Thanksgiving Day [second semester]

February 10, 2012

For the last days of the month of January, I was thinking of what would be the next story book that Jun Ross and I will read. On the other hand, I was also thinking about the suitability and appropriateness of the suggested techniques and approaches which we may use in teaching the Children. In the case of Jun Ross, he was able to read but to comprehend what he is reading is a great challenge for him and so for this reason, I was planning a structured assessment for his Reading and Comprehension Skills progress. However, I made some doubts in my mind if I should go for it because I might deviate from the usual task that we are doing on the Program. What was the best thing to do then is to inform our adviser, Madam Nancy, regarding on this matter. She had asked me some questions about the process of Assessing Jun Ross’ Reading and Comprehension Skills and then she gave me the leeway to do it. “If you think that could somehow help Jun Ross improved his reading and comprehension then, why not do it”, said Madam Nancy.



Gaps

At the age of Jun Ross, he should be in the fourth year level of High School but because of some parental disturbances, Jun Ross was affected too much from it and so he was late to arrived. It was so sorrowful that he was a less fortunate child, thanks to Rehoboth who rescued him and give him hope and another life.

Reading storybook seemed to be inappropriate or less effective for him. So what I did is to assess if Jun Ross – after 3 years in the Literacy Program – has gone so far toward his journey to become a fully literate man; someone who can read with comprehension; someone who is fluent enough to understand how important reading is.

February 20, 2012
Conflicts

In accordance with our Personal Attendance sheet, Jun Ross made 3 absences in our sessions by this time, and as the semester is about to end, he was always late. Most of the time in our sessions, we often need to be in a hurry because for a few minutes, it was time to go home. It was a predicament on my part. Out of curiosity, I ask him if there are any problems with regards on the way I teach, with me or, on with my teaching strategies used.

Jun Ross was ashamed but politely answered my question. Good thing that he learned to explain and defend his stand.

The very gist of his statement of problem was the conflict of time for school and for the Literacy Program. Although I am irritated because we lacks enough time for our session, I need to understand Jun Ross’ situation; he was just concerned too much of his grades in school and that vouched me.

To prevent the conflicts of time, I seek for assistance and advices to our adviser and subsequently we had a talk with Jun Ross about his time between the school and the program during MWFs. I noticed then that Jun Ross was surprised for this encounter and that is why he speaks much less than what we had then. I knew that he maybe more outspoken on this matter with me as his personal teacher than the other entity on this Program.

I was touched when I discovered the extent of his concern about his studies in school and his grades, and in attending for the Literacy Program to meet me. I knew then that he appreciates my efforts to make him learn.

 February 22, 2012
Bad trip

We are supposed to proceed on the fourth Comprehension Skill [Following Directions] but because it was suspended by Madam Nancy, we have missed this day absolutely for nothing! She was late to suspend our sessions for the children and so, I feel so mad about it. All my efforts and expectations for this day became a trash.

Badly, my classmates [some of them] grab this opportunity to go home early and take it for granted. They said that they will conduct an activity but actually not most of them do it— only a few. There was a wide time wasted which should be spend for teaching the Children.

I feel very bad at this moment for what had happened— so sick! I do not get my classmates attitudes towards the Program. Maybe they wanted to quit or give-up from teaching the Children and they were just force to do it because it was a requirement for the completion of the course.

Do they know how important it was? We are blessed to have these Children to be taught and to have an experiential–learning by doing in order to apply all those principles that we are learning. We are so fortunate to have these Children. We help them, and they help us more to improve ourselves as a future teacher.

February 29, 2012

This day, Jun Ross was so late! And I have waited for him for a very long time until I finally saw him arriving. It really makes me mad whenever he was late or absent. But what can I do, I think his school should be the one to be given more importance than that of the reading tutorial [Literacy Program]. I cannot blame him because it was not his mistake.

Our sessions for the Literacy Program begin at every 4:30 in the afternoons of MWFs and 5:30 pm was the dismissal. To calculate it, I consume almost 20-30 minutes just by preparing my materials and waiting for him to come— and when he did not came, hour of our session was lost and wasted.

Jun Ross was the one who was assigned to me and I could not afford to teach other children while waiting for him because I am not prepared for them. So, most of the time, I just waited for Jun Ross to come.

I always tend to review our past, past and present lessons to Jun Ross to refresh his mind about our lessons because he shows that he did not learn anything from those and I did noticed that he lacks motivation. Sometimes I make it to the point of assessing myself— am I effective teacher to/ for Jun Ross? It seems that Jun Ross is always in a ‘blank slate’ mode every time we start our lesson.

I give all my efforts to search for the best things for him and to teach him very well – but [blank!]

March 2, 2012
Absence of One, Absence of Others?

On this day, because the elementary pupils and some of the high school students of Rehoboth have no classes in the afternoon, they arrived early and so, the reading tutorial sessions began too early – different from the usual.

Just before they arrive, Madam Nancy sent us a text message informing that she will not be able to meet us. She also said that Jun Ross can not come because the Children arrived early and so they will also go home early as well – not the usual 5:30 pm. Because Jun Ross was dismissed in school by 5:00 pm, he’ll just go Home.

Our adviser is absent and so, Jun Ross cannot come again because, again, of the conflict of time. Bad!

Madam Kath, the one who supervise the Children, also told me that Jun Ross could not come. But then, I insist to wait for him.

And when 5:00 pm came, my classmates were done with their students. Madam Kath and the Children walk for home, and so my classmates are about to go home.

Hopeless to wait for Jun Ross, I went home!

March 5, 2012
The Abysmal

It was very bad day for me because Jun Ross was absent for today. I have waited for him, but nothing had happened.

Conflict of time was so stubborn. It really makes me mad. Why not? My schedules in assessing the comprehension of Jun Ross was being interrupted.

So much for that madness and my stomach is churning.

I love teaching Jun Ross and would missed my MWFs without meeting him.

Should I punish him?

Maybe?

Not?

 March 7, 2012

It’s a yes, yes show! Jun Ross was present today and wears nicely, and one more thing that makes me happy is that he came very early this day that I do not need to wait for him.

I intentionally ask him why he is too early for today and why he is absent last Monday and for a long time. I showed to him our Personal Attendance sheet and he could not believe when he saw the number of times that he was absent. He answered my questions with a nice smile which shows how sincere he was.

He told me that he was absent last Monday because they had a long quiz on their last subject and that he was not able to come because they were late to dismiss. And why he came early this day with Madam Kath and the other Children? He told me that they do not have classes this afternoon. It’s great because it gives us the chance to fill-in those days that he was not present.

 
Jun Ross and I dwelled on the third to the last Comprehension Skill— the ‘Making Inferences’. I could see then that Jun Ross did not miss our topics about Comprehension Skills. He looks so bored and when I asked him some questions about our topics for today, he was hesitant in answering those questions I posted.

Some indicator that he is not interested with our topic is that he looked so bored and he tends to yawned. I’m mad on these behaviors he exhibiting to me.

But by the way, after so many days of waiting, Jun Ross was able to submit to me all his assignment and other paper works. I had checked them all and Jun Ross was able to answer excellently some of them while the others are leaved blank. I put question marks on those assignments with no answer and I asked him why he leaved those with no answer. He told me that he forgot some of the details about those despite that there were directions given.

Nevertheless, I was pleased to discover that Jun Ross had an improvement/ development. I found-out that there was an improvement to him the way he answer my questions and other follow-up questions.

I could say that sudden improvement/ development of my learner cannot always be found on the test papers I was giving to him to answer. Improvement of Jun Ross was very apparent on the way he answer my questions and on the way he reason-out to defend his point of view.

March 9, 2012
What an Ice Cream Celebration!



The Invitation for the Ice Cream Celebration was from Sir Tom. He told us about it during the last of February. Right after then, all of was so excited because some of us will be a first timer in setting our footsteps at Rehoboth Children’s Home, Inc. – and one more thing is that it would be our first time to attend in an Ice Cream Celebration [ice cream makes us more excited for that affair].

As planned, we arrived at the Rehoboth before the said time of 4:15 pm. Our adviser Madam Nancy was with Sir Arnold Lorenzo, our Institute Extension Coordinator, and his wife, Madam Blessie Lorenzo. They are all waiting in a shed when we arrived there. Our other classmates who came there earlier than ours are having a visit then on the Garden of the Children. By the way, I saw Jun Ross who was then watching other children playing table tennis. He did notice me but did not welcome me. Is there any problem? I did the same thing.

 
In the Garden of the Rehoboth Children, you can see different kinds of herbal/ medicinal plants. It was not posted there but I think it was a ‘botanical garden’. The garden lot area is divided and groups from the children were assigned there to plant different kinds of medicinal plants and to take care of their plants and area of responsibility. Their names and group names were posted there for each area divided for recognition to those who will visit.



When my classmate, Edelyn and I arrived there, we saw that my classmates are having picture-taking of the garden and with the children. All of them are enjoying the place as we join them and the Children are very cheerful to see us as we take our tour on it and as we appreciate their works for the garden.



After the visit in the garden, others called us for the program which was about to start. Sir Tom and his wife, Madam Leah spearheaded the program and both of them made it very great. Madam Leah talked about her favorite books and asked us about our favorite books; while Sir Tom had the awarding of Certificate of Achievement for the Children with us to award personally to our students. All of us were so proud of ourselves and for the Children that we taught for this year like Mr. Jun Ross O. Parajes who is beginning to discover the purpose of reading towards success in life.

 
I am so proud of Jun Ross even though he did not smile as I award his certificate! Why?

I could see then how my classmates were so proud of their students and for the other Children for their Achievement this year on the Literacy Program. Some others do have tears of joy.

I am so glad and so proud for everybody who did their part for the success of the Literacy Program this School Year 2011-2012!

Next thing that we did is that we had games with the Children. There are games for us and for the Children. Obviously, everyone enjoyed. Such a great day with the Children, I said to myself.

So, where are the Ice Creams? A great treat for the success of everybody— a melt in the mouth cone of Special Ice Cream by Sir Tom.

Ice Cream melts, but this day of experience shall remain ‘solid’ in my mind.


March 14, 2012
‘Til we meet Again!


Jun Ross arrived with the other Children and with Madam Kath, who will supervise them for today.

This day conveys mixed emotions to me because this has been the ending of the Literacy Program this year. It was both sad and happy occasion— sad because it’s a goodbye for a while; and happy because we will close this year of the Literacy Program having good memories and experiences with the Children. We will surely miss those beautiful Children. I will always remember those times we shared during MWFs and the Ice Cream Celebration where we gave them Certificate of Achievement— that even Jun Ross did not smile when I award his certificate, still, I am so proud for this boy. Jun Ross is definitely an Expert-Novice – someone who is a beginning learner but expertly learning even though there are difficulties and challenges arising along the mid-way of his journey to learn the beautiful purpose of Reading.





— JR Aquino- Payne